It's seductive, you know? The slick photos or videos that show something that looks great, and better still, looks so danged easy to do. You feel inspired or even past that, suspect that unknown to anyone around you, a spectacular talent lurks untapped inside you. All you need is that recipe, and voila! You will produce something amazing. Martha et al know this all too well.

There are some typical problems or frustrations that occur when cooking (and when dog training):

1. You never stop believing that the first recipe was ideal even if the results you get are not great or what you hoped for

2. You fail to practice sufficiently so that you can differentiate between a bad recipe and bad technique on your part (or lousy ingredients!)

3. Having decided your technique is at fault, you still fail to learn new ways of using the recipe

4. Having decided the recipe is at fault, you fail to actively seek out and practice new recipes

5. You blame the ingredients.

I deeply appreciate how clickers can teach a client to focus on watching for the good instead of waiting to correct or punish the bad.

I deeply appreciate the value of a clicker in improving observation skills as well as timing. And I'm well aware that the physical movement to click can be organized more quickly than a verbal marker, and that's great when trying to improve training skills.

The paradigm shift that clicker training can make possible can be profound. It's an important step towards a new understanding and a new approach to dogs.

Not too long ago, I was asked about a specific bit of training. The questioner posed in very jargonistic terms, "So what you're saying is that you are free shaping that behavior?".

I was taken aback, and had to pause a bit to explain my instant response of "No, that's not what I mean at all!" I had to examine why I find such jargon so off-putting and, most importantly, inaccurate.

A sadly reliable part of my work are the scared ones, dogs brought to me because they were afraid, sometimes of specifics like tall men or loud noises, and sometimes just afraid in general. They are afraid for many reasons. Some are traumatized, some have limited capacity to cope, some simply do not understand the world. My goal is to find a way to help these dogs as best I can. Being afraid is not a good way to live.

The door slams, over and over as John rushes in and out, trying to make our world a better place. In each slam, I hear the energy he pours - seemingly without end - into this farm. He makes lists, tries to meet the needs of so many creatures (both two and four legged), and sighs when I add something else to his never ending list of chores and tasks.